Civic Issue-Clean Water: A Problem of Today

The problem of water worldwide is two-fold, lack of clean, safe water for millions of people in developing countries, and the overall lack of fresh water, as a resource, in our world. Though the scarcity of water is a huge problem, it also an issue of the future, so I am going to focus on the issue of clean water and the effects on developing countries this week.

Africa Needs CDC - Children in Ethiopia

Clean water not only effects the individual lives of people who are unable to attain water for consumption, sanitation, etc., lack of safe water has huge impact on countries as a whole. People need to be able to access about five to eight gallons of water everyday, for hygiene, consumption, and sanitary reasons.  also a child born into a developed country uses about thirty to fifty times more water than a child born in a developing country (World Water Crisis). Just as water is a life sustainer, water also has a negative side. Many deadly diseases are water-borne. When water is contaminated either by chemicals or parasites it becomes very dangerous to people. Problem is many people in the world do not have access to any other water sources than contaminated ones. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that malaria, diarrheal disease, and shistosomiasis as the main problems (World Water Crisis). These disease are so worrying because of the huge impact they have on the lives of many people worldwide. One statistic says that about six thousand children die everyday from diarrheal diseases (World Water Crisis). The worst part about these deaths are they can be so easily treated, or even avoided all together, if clean water was an easily accessed commodity. The lack of clean water for consumption reasons is only one problem. Because of lack of fresh water for sanitary and hygienic reasons, one million people die from malaria every year (World Water Crisis). Malaria is carried by mosquitos, and these mosquitos breed in stagnant water which is often linked to poor sanitation systems.

WHO has complied some scary statistics about water throughout the world. They say that one out of every five people do not have access to clean, safe water, that is one billion people worldwide.  They also declare that almost half of the world does not have access to sanitation (World Water Crisis). These numbers are staggering, how can our world begin to fix problems like staggering debts and debilitating wars, when one of the main issues of almost half the world is still being unable to access water? The problem is this is no easy fix, there are just too many people without clean water. If a country struggles to even give their people access to sanitation and water for consuming, how can they begin to give their people educations and better standards of living? If most of the population of a country cannot access water, how is that same country expected to be able to give their people jobs and a stable economy? Before a country can become successful and have high standard of livings, good job market, and high economy, they need to be able to fix the most basic of needs for their people, access to water.

People have been trying to fix the issue of lack of clean water for years, but the task is a difficult one because of the staggering number of people and areas that just don’t have the means to attain water. One, if not a solution at least helper, is the product called LifeStraw. Created by Vestergaard, LifeStraw is a device used to filter contaminated water. This device allows people to be able to drink water, even when it is not clean. On their website, Vestergaard describes their product as “Each product in the LifeStraw® portfolio is designed for a specific situation where safe water is needed but not readily available.” The LifeStraw uses fiber technology which allows the water to be sucked up the tube and causes the microorganisms and parasites to be caught in the fiber while the clean water passes through. The device is so great because it allows people to drink water that is dirty because the straw “self-cleans” the water and makes it safe to drink. Another benefit is the LifeStraw is relatively affordable.

Lack of clean water in developing countries is a basic problem, and one that will continue to hold these countries back. If a countries population is not healthy and cannot even access life necessities like water, they will never be able to become prosperous. The UN and WHO are working to find solutions to the lack of clean water problem, but with the large amount of people effected, it is proving to be a difficult task. LifeStraw is just one piece of technology that may be able to help with the problem for now. Will LifeStraw solve all the water problems? Absolutely not, LifeStraw still does not solve the problem of sanitation issues which effects almost half of the world’s population. LifeStraw is not the ultimate solution to the world’s clean water issues, but it’s a good place to start.

Works Consulted:

“World Water Crisis.” Medicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 346-347. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

“LifeStraw.” Vestergaard: Impacting People. Vestergaard. 2013. 19 Feb. 2014.http://www.vestergaard.com/lifestraw-personal

Picture Citations:

http://africaneeds.org/issues-solutions/the-water-problem/

http://www.indesignlive.com/articles/sustainability/90-inspiration#axzz2toCr9TXX

Comments

  1. This was an extremely important blog entry and I think one that not many people consider on a daily basis. Even the luxury of being able to take a shower every day is considered crazy in some countries. When you go to Israel this summer you’re going to see how water is treated completely different there. When I studied abroad there we were encouraged to take quick, cold showers to conserve water, as Israel is going through a major drought right now. But overall this was fantastic. I had never heard of the LifeStraw before but I am for sure going to research it.

  2. I’ve definitely heard of the LifeStraw before and I think its a great thing that there are companies out there willing to make a product to help the world despite low profits from that item. If more companies were willing to invest in clean water technologies it could really change the world.

  3. Emily Isaacs says:

    The issue of water is clearly a huge one. You did a great job giving lots of statistics and facts. I wish there was an easier solution to this problem, as it makes me soooo sad. I always think it’s interesting to see remedies to this problem, and I think the LifeStraw is a great invention. Overall, great, informative post!

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